Brain abscess remains a life-threatening condition. Here, we are reporting a case of brain abscess due to Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in a previously known case of recurrent otitis media. A 15 years old boy with a history of recurrent otitis media presented with the complaints of right otalgia, headache and fever. Computed Tomography (CT) brain and neck revealed fluid filled right middle ear cavity with bony destruction along the inner cortex of right temporal bone. The abscess was drained and culture showed growth of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. This report illustrates the importance of MALDI-TOF MS in the species level identification of anaerobes thereby facilitating the selection of appropriate and prompt adjuvant antibiotic therapy. This timely identification thus led to a favourable outcome in an era of increasing antimicrobial resistance.

脑脓肿仍然危及生命。在这里，我们报告了在先前已知的复发性中耳炎病例中，由于拟杆菌杆菌引起的脑脓肿病例。一个有中耳炎复发史的15岁男孩，患有右耳痛，头痛和发烧。计算机断层扫描（CT）脑和颈部显示，右中耳腔内充满液体，沿右侧颞骨内皮质骨破坏。脓肿被排干，培养物显示出拟杆菌的生长。该报告说明了MALDI-TOF MS在厌氧菌物种水平鉴定中的重要性，从而有助于选择合适且迅速的辅助抗生素治疗。因此，这种及时的鉴定在增加抗菌素耐药性的时代中产生了有利的结果。